Maryland
Patuxent River Sailor Commended for Providing Life-Saving Roadside Assistance After Tragic Crash in Hollywood
Photo By Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon | PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland (April 19, 2024) – Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Isaiah Mercado of Navy Munitions Command Atlantic Detachment Patuxent River rendered life-saving care to injured motorists following a vehicle collision in Hollywood, Maryland April 7.
Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Isaiah Mercado is no stranger to high-stress scenarios.
As a Navy armament weapons support equipment technician with Navy Munitions Command Atlantic Detachment Patuxent River (NMCLANT DET Pax) his duties include supporting both air- and surface-launched weapons by performing intermediate level maintenance on both peculiar and common ordnance handling and transportation equipment.
Maintaining the equipment that transports explosive ordnance requires a strong nerve, so it is no surprise that he was able to coolly and calmly act when he came across a vehicle collision shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday, April 7.
Driving with his wife, Mercado saw the scene of the collision involving a motorcycle and a compact SUV at Three Notch Road and Tom Hodges Drive in Hollywood, Maryland. Realizing he was the first on scene he went into action without a second thought.
“It was just a natural instinct to stop,” recounted Mercado. “As soon as I saw the accident my first thought was to get there as fast as I could and help out the victims.”
Telling his wife to call 911, he assessed the scene and began to check all parties for injuries. Finding the driver of the SUV responsive and able to talk, she asked Mercado to check on her child in the backseat.
“The child was in the back unconscious from the collision,” said Mercado, going through the scenario play-by-play. “I started to ask if she can hear me or move at all. I checked for a pulse and told the mother her daughter was still alive and with a pulse. My next step was to check on the motorcyclist and I was asking if he could hear me and then I tapped him a couple times and got no response.”
Mercado was then joined on the scene by an off-duty St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Deputy, who began to assist with the injured as well, freeing Mercado to check back on the unconscious child in the SUV.
“My wife handed me the phone since I had a better understanding being in the car and getting a triage done on those involved,” said Mercado. “I told the 911 operator my guess on the age of the two unconscious people and told them I checked for a pulse on the little girl. The off-duty sheriff asked me to help stabilize the girls’ neck and he took over the call to the dispatcher.”
Joined by a third passerby, Mercado enlisted her with helping the driver out of the SUV.
“I told her she needs to get the mom and take her out the car because I didn’t want her to see her child like this,” said Mercado. “After that the first responders came and asked us if we needed a collar for the child’s neck, then went off to get one and our next focus was to get her out of the car.”
Mercado’s initial assessment of the scene made it clear that the SUV’s door buckled in the collision with enough force to roll the SUV’s frame onto the child’s booster seat, making it difficult to remove her from that side of the vehicle.
“I told them I can just carry her out from the car,” said Mercado. “I unbuckled her and then cradled her and scooted out of the car then carried her to the gurney. They then asked for her name, so I went to the mother and asked her for it. After I got it, I proceeded back to the area where they were tending to her and called her by her name to get a response.”
Tragically, despite the efforts of Mercado and first responders who began CPR, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman and child were transported by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital and flown by Maryland State Police to separate hospitals for further care.
For those who know Mercado, his actions that day speak volumes to his character.
“AO2’s ability to jump into a scene and render aide without a moment’s hesitation is exactly why he’s a trusted leader on our team,” said Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Paul Nelson, Senior Enlisted Advisor for NMCLANT DET Pax. “I have no doubt his speed, cool head, and competent actions prevented further loss of life in a difficult situation, and I am incredibly proud have him as a member of NMCLANT DET Pax.”
NMCLANT DET Pax is responsible for providing Fleet Ordnance Support (FOS) to local customers as well as designated research and development projects in support of test and evaluation of fixed and rotary wing aircraft. DET Patuxent River functions as the principle point of contact for explosive ordnance facility oversight and sustaining stock points assigned; to provide quality and responsive ordnance material handling, technical, material support to the Fleet and other customers in the areas of retail ammunition management; and to manage and operate explosives ordnance facilities at NAS Patuxent River.
Photo By Chief Petty Officer Patrick Gordon | PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland (April 19, 2024) – Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Isaiah Mercado of Navy Munitions Command Atlantic Detachment Patuxent River rendered life-saving care to injured motorists following a vehicle collision in Hollywood, Maryland April 7.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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